11 FLORIDA PANTHERS MOST PRESSING NEED: AN OX IN THE DRESSING ROOM

Every available ticket to Panthers games in 1997-98 has beensold, and more than 6,000 fans have inquired about seasontickets for next year, when Florida moves into its new arena inFort Lauderdale. All these ticket buyers aren't gobbling uphockey seats to enjoy the pleasures of the air conditioning.

Panthers hysteria traces back two seasons to the day when rightwing Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the dressing room with hisstick and Florida fans began celebrating goals by tossingplastic rats onto the ice. The overachieving Panthers reachedthe Stanley Cup finals that year in just their third season.Then last year, Florida lost its magic and was eliminated in thefirst round of the playoffs. "Last year we had highexpectations," says Mellanby, "and we were disappointed when wefell short of our goals."

Florida was indeed short on its goals last season, when it litthe lamp just 221 times, the fewest of any playoff team. ThePanthers hope to invigorate their offense with the free-agentsigning of 32-year-old center Dave Gagner, who has scored 25 ormore goals seven times in his career, and a return to form bycenter Kirk Muller, who was acquired last March and who hadscored 30 or more goals five times in his 13-year career beforescoring 21 in 1996-97.

The Panthers will carry at least seven players with less thanthree years of NHL experience, and coach Doug MacLean iscounting on breakthrough seasons from some of them, includingdefenseman Ed Jovanovski, who suffered through a sophomore slumpafter a brilliant rookie year. MacLean is also high onfifth-year center Rob Niedermayer, who he believes can be anAll-Star in 1997-98. "This is a tough league for kids to playin," MacLean says, "but these guys are ready."

Florida must fill a leadership void left when center BrianSkrudland, its captain, signed a free-agent deal with theRangers. To that end Florida added the C to Mellanby's jersey.During his introduction as captain in August, Mellanby promisedto fire up the Panthers by hunting prey larger than rats thisseason. During Florida's Stanley Cup run, the Chinese zodiacindicated that it was the Year of the Rat. According to theChinese calendar, this is the Year of the Ox, which leads to abold prediction: If Mellanby kills an ox with a stick inFlorida's dressing room this season, the Panthers will win theStanley Cup.